Articles

SETTING UP TURKEY DECOYS EFFECTIVELY

After realizing that I was not in the proper position at first light, I had to painfully listen to a tom gobbling his head off in the river bottom opposite of where I had set up. My only hope was that he could potentially fly off the roost in my direction. When things did not start in my favor, I began walking back towards my truck in hopes of striking up another gobble on the way. After heading down another river bottom ravine, I could hear a faint gobble in the far distance. The gobble sounded

TURKEY SOUNDS: HOW & WHEN TO USE THEM

Good communication skills are a big part of success in the human world, and likewise when turkey hunting. If there’s one facet of hunting the grand bird that thrills hunters most, it’s being able to “talk turkey” with wild turkeys. The term actually originated with wild turkeys. Historical accounts suggest the origin of “turkey talk” derives from colonial times when the first contacts between Native Americans and settlers often centered on the supply of wild turkeys and the day-to-day haggling

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LAND FOR WILDLIFE

Good wildlife management and increasing wildlife on the properties you own or hunt on involves much more than just planting food plots. To have more wildlife on your property, consider planting fruit trees and nut trees and various types of grasses and shrubs that produce food and cover for wildlife. We’ve asked Raley to tell us why we need to consider planting trees, shrubs and native grasses to increase food and habitat for wildlife. By starting now, you can decide where and when to plant

The State of the Union

Podcast Transcription: The State of the Union Speakers: Billy McOwen Bryan Dehart Click Here to Listen to the Podcast Announcer Hey folks, I'm Cuz Strickland and welcome to find your favorite place presented by Mossy Oak properties land and farms realty, the podcast dedicated to a life lived on the farm, in the woods or by the water. Each week we'll talk about hunting, fishing, the outdoors and land ownership throughout the Carolinas and Virginia. Our goal is to help each of you live your best

EASEMENTS 101: HOW THEY IMPACT A LAND PURCHASE

When you are buying land, knowing what can be legally used by your neighbors via an easement should weigh heavily on your decision. Likewise, if you are buying property, knowing what ways you can use a neighbor's property via an easement is also essential. Easements give a person the right to use someone else's land for a particular reason. There are a variety of reasons land would have an easement, from ensuring utilities get to your property to simply allowing you to pass through a neighbor's

HOW QUALITY ROADS CAN IMPACT YOUR PROPERTY

If you are an avid reader of GameKeepers like I am, you are very aware of food plot management, how to get the most out of your deer herd, and timber management. All of these can positively impact your property and add an exponential amount of value to your paradise. However, when you go to sell that property, one factor that many people tend to overlook could mean the difference between sold or not - a quality road system. EXTERNAL ROADS There are three main types of roads that can affect the

MAKE 2022 THE BEST DEER SEASON YET BY STARTING PREP NOW

By now, most deer hunting seasons have ended across the country. Whether you are saving money for an upcoming taxidermy bill or warming the pot up on the stove to fix a warm bowl of tag soup, you are probably also reminiscing about the past hunting season and wondering what you can improve on next year. Preparing for the upcoming season is never a bad idea, especially when the goal is to take a mature buck in the fall. Often, hunters can become burnt out from several months of preparing for the

THE DECLINE OF BOBWHITE QUAIL POPULATIONS DURING THE 20TH CENTURY

Not so long ago the call of “bob...white” was as ubiquitous on the southern landscape as were the mist-laden scents of honeysuckle in the spring and a riot of red and gold leaves in the fall. But that is no longer true. Quail are no longer there, at least not as many, and in some places, they’re simply gone. Even the honeysuckle and fall’s royal colors have dwindled in many areas. What happened? What went wrong? What if in 1950 there was a group completely bent on the removal of quail from the

5 REASONS YOU SHOULD HUNT CROWS IN THE OFF-SEASON

Whether you’re getting warmed up for the arrival of dove and duck season or looking to make up for missed opportunity once waterfowl season wraps up, nothing delivers a more budget-friendly shotgunning opportunity like crow hunting. Disregard the bitterness and angst that often comes with the thought of hunting crow. Pound for pound, nothing else comes close to the endless opportunity that the pursuit of crow hunting provides. It was many years ago that I discovered that few things can cure an

LATE SEASON WATERFOWL TACTICS

In no time at all waterfowl seasons will be coming to a close and this how to article will be helpful for you in trying to find some last ditch efforts to locate some ducks before the final whistle blows. When I first started duck hunting 20 years ago, I had no idea on where to start; I am an Indiana deer hunter by trade, growing up in the cornfields of southern Indiana. I have deer hunted all my life and I wanted to try something different. I decided I wanted to be a duck hunter, which was a